The Observation of Lunar Impacts

TL;DR

This paper reviews the history, visibility conditions, and luminosity of lunar impacts, analyzing their occurrence rates and suggesting a higher impact frequency in the past based on observational and theoretical considerations.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of lunar impact observation conditions and estimates historical impact rates, combining observational data with theoretical modeling.

Findings

Lunar impacts are observable under specific luminosity conditions.

Impact rates vary with meteor shower activity and background meteor populations.

Historical impact frequency was likely higher than current estimates.

Abstract

The intense activity of cratering on the Moon and in the inner regions of the solar system was accomplished during the first 10^9 years [1]. Occasionally, some impact events occur even nowadays. In Section 1, we treat, from a historical point of view, the Earth-based observation of lunar impacts. In Section 2, we consider the visibility conditions of such events evaluating the luminosity of the background upon which an impact shines. In Section~3, the luminosity of an impact is discussed. The occurrence of lunar impact events outside of meteor shower periods is calculated using the hourly rate of the sporadic meteors and their population index. The evidence of a larger rate of impacts of meteoroids in the past under these hypotheses is presentend in the last section.